Luck (2009)

Waste of time

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

If you thought this movie would be a fun way to spend an evening, just ... don't bother. "Luck" is like a cold, heartless alternative-universe version of the subtle and complex psychological thriller "Intacto" with Max von Sydow, which is also about a world championship of luck, with people betting their luckiness against one another. One major difference between these two thrillers is that "Intacto" has character depth and this flop does not. Consider: the man organizing the "games" here is a mafia boss and the character-bits are just dialed in from the Mafia stock tropes we have all come to expect; in "Intacto" the master of the games is an elderly World War Two concentration camp survivor, and there is a slight possibility of unspoken and non-physical homosexual love between him and the lucky man who arranges his deadly gamesIf you arrived at this review because you are exploring films about luckiness rather than searching for thrillers per se, there are a number of earlier films that also deal with the theme of luck, mostly in a humorous way. Check out Mantan Moreland in "Irish Luck," for instance.

Soham Shah after the dreadful KAAL comes with LUCKHe brought a big cast at least Sanjay Dutt and the newbie Imran Khan were the hot ones rest he brought Mithun, Ravi Kissen and othersThought he had a pipping hot film to do a Dhoom 2Little did he think that creativity is requiredHe copied THE CONDEMNED and 12 ZAMETI and made a crap film out of itThe film looks like a big screen version of FEAR FACTOR or KHATRON KE KHILADI but sadly it is treated shabbilyThe concept is marred with songs, romance and also the thrill factor is very clichéd and rarely does it thrill The climax is badDirection by Soham Shah is bad Music is okayStunts are okay at placesAmongst actors Sanjay Dutt looks overweight, tired and just walks around Imran Khan is too stiff Newcomer Shruti Hassan falls flat Mithun is as usual Danny is good Ravi Kissen is okay

What's it all about?A bunch of very 'lucky people' participate in a survival game orchestrated by mafia boss, Karim Moosa (Sanjay Dutt), who is on a mission to establish and lead the human-betting business. Instead of 'survival of the fittest', it's 'survival of the luckiest' here. So you have Ram Mehra (Imran Khan), Major Jawar Pratap Singh (Mithun Chakraborty), serial killer Raghav (Ravi Kissen), sixteen-year old Shortcut (Chitrashi Rawat) and Natasha (Shruti Hassan) relying solely on luck to win this bizarre game of life and death.Direction & ScreenplayWriter-director, Soham Shah, needs hardcore lessons in script-writing. Shah's story and character development skills are zilch and funnily enough, he always ends up writing the silliest climax imaginable. If Kaal was a nightmare, then Luck is the mother of all nightmares. There were no gargantuan expectations from Shah but it was very disappointing to see Renzil D'Silva's name in the screenplay credits. Isn't he the same guy who wrote Aks and Rang De Basanti?PerformancesAnother huge disappointment is in store for those who are expecting Shruti Hassan to match her father's (Kamal Hassan) acting abilities. Alas, the young lady's debut is as thanda as it can get. Shruti's flat dialogue delivery and lack of expression is a big turn-off. Oh, and the bikini-scene is total nonsense. But wait, it doesn't mean that she's devoid of talent. Shruti is a gifted musician and she sings her version of Luck Aazma with much aplomb. Imran Khan is another misfit who looks completely uncomfortable throughout the film. He should stick to rom-coms for now; I'm sure there's plenty of time to experiment later. Bhojpuri bhaiyya, Ravi Kissen, and Chitrashi Rawat are entertaining in their silly roles. Sanjay Dutt and Danny Denzongpa bore you to death with their endless lectures about luck and all that, and there's some more guaranteed boredom with Mithun's cheesy catchphrase, 'Koi Shaque?', last heard in J.P. Dutta's Ghulami.MusicSalim-Sulaiman's compositions are above average but music in an action-thriller is unnecessary. A robust background score would be more appropriate. Amar Mohile does a good job, aptly supported by Hari Dwarak's impressive sound design.StuntsA film like Luck needs a good dose of high-octane stunts but Allan Amin's action lacks punch. Full marks for the opening train sequence, however, the underwater and parachute scenes are not very convincing. Spielberg's Jaws did a better job with the sharks and that was way back in 1975. The climax involving a speeding train, a plane and some explosions is a joke, not because of the stunts but because of the actors who are performing them and the Aazma Luck track that accompanies the entire sequence. Do save a few laughs as there is much more in store for you, thanks to Imran, Ravi and Shruti.FINAL VERDICTLuck is a big turkey and it's worse than Soham Shah's mediocre debut, Kaal. Bad luck Soham.I go with 1* Star for the film LUCK is so BAD..that it should be re-named as " YUCK " :\

Soham Shah made his debut as a filmmaker way back in 2005, with the well-made Kaal... four years later, he's back this time around with a flick named 'LUCK'.Lets this straight: When you watch a film like 'LUCK', don't expect coming out watching a milestone. Such films promise to entertain, that's it! Based on human betting and their LUCK, Shah impresses big time with his slick direction in 'LUCK'.'LUCK' has its hiccups up, but come on which film doesn't. Logic is not the topic here, entertainment is. 'LUCK' succeeds in keeping the viewers interest alive in those 2 hours and some minutes. Despite a weak climax, 'LUCK' is highly an engaging watch. Slick direction, grind house production value, first-rate performances, excellent background score and cinematography make 'LUCK' indeed worth a watch.Performances: Mithun Chakraborty is fantastic. His portions are among the high-points of the film. Sanjay Dutt is stylish as moussa. Imran Khan is alright, he doesn't really suit the action-oriented role. Danny is in form after a long time. Shurti Hassan makes a good debut, but she enters the scene only at the interval. She deserved more footage, keeping in mind this is her launch pad. Chitrashi Rawat is first-rate in a brief role. Ravi Kishan is superb, he plays the Grey character with remarkable ease.All said n done, 'LUCK' is entertainment at its best. Leave your brains at home and go watch 'LUCK', your bound to love it. Thumbs Up!